🔗 Share this article

Travelers across the United States are bracing for growing disruptions as airport staffing shortages further deteriorate during the current federal government shutdown, now reaching its seventh consecutive day.

Escalating Worries Over Aviation System

Union representatives for flight controllers and TSA agents have warned that the circumstances is likely to deteriorate, with staffing challenges documented at several key airports including locations such as Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia.

"The risk of wider impacts to the US aviation system continues to increase by the day," commented travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.

He voiced grave concern that should the closure persist, it could potentially disrupt millions of Americans' holiday travel arrangements in November.

Flight Delays and Operational Issues

Workforce gaps, including an elevated number of workers taking sick leave, affected key facilities around Denver, Los Angeles and New York on Monday, causing delays for over 6,000 flights across the country.

• The Burbank facility's flight control was briefly shut down and responsibilities were managed by another facility
• Nashville airport reported postponements averaging 120 minutes due to staffing issues
• O'Hare Airport in Chicago showed average delays of nearly three-quarters of an hour
• The DFW airport had postponements recorded at half an hour

Sector Reaction and Union Position

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association emphasized that it does not endorse any organized actions that could negatively affect the National Airspace System.

The union clarified that air traffic controllers take their responsibility to ensure passenger security extremely earnestly and engaging in any work stoppage could lead to removal from federal service.

Official Viewpoint

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alerted that the country's air traffic control system is being harmed from the ongoing government shutdown.

"They're not just thinking about the airspace," he remarked regarding flight controllers who are not receiving salaries. "They're thinking about, 'Am I going to get a salary'?"

The official observed that many controllers live paycheck to paycheck and cannot afford prolonged durations without payment.

Wider Consequences

Based on contingency planning, approximately a quarter of the workforce, or more than 11,000 aviation administration workers, were temporarily laid off when the shutdown began last week.

Nevertheless, 13,000 air traffic controllers remain on duty, with recruitment and instruction also ongoing.

Labor leader Nick Daniels pointed out that the closure has emphasized existing challenges faced by air traffic controllers, including staff shortages and aging technology.

He explained that the circumstances is especially serious at regional facilities where reduced personnel creates additional challenges.

Despite the extensive postponements, aviation analytics indicated that approximately ninety-two percent of flights departing from US airports took off on time as of Tuesday afternoon.

The aviation regulator had not issued a "staffing trigger" that would decrease the number of flights in and out of airports, indicating that activities were continuing despite the challenges.